High suspension/expulsion rates driven by ineffective school policies, not "bad kids"

High suspension/expulsion rates driven by ineffective school policies, not "bad kids"

Friday, March 14, 2014

Russell Skiba, director of the Equity Project, heads a group of 26 nationally recognized experts from the social science, education and legal fields – known as the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative. The Collaborative has spent three years compiling and analyzing a huge body of recent research that challenges virtually every notion behind the frequent use of disciplinary policies that remove students from the classroom.

The group found clear evidence that students of color, particularly African-Americans, and students with disabilities are suspended at hugely disproportionate rates compared to white students, perpetuating racial and educational inequality across the country. LGBT students also are over-represented in suspension.

The Collaborative's reports were released as the group presented their information and answered questions in Congressional hearings in Washington, D.C.